Bethpage Hockey Night fundraiser keeps late Syosset High School graduate’s legacy alive

She lit up a room. She has the best smile. A hundred percent just good in her heart. Sabrina Navarretta made a lasting impression on her community even after her death. She was tragically killed in a car crash in 2023 when she was just 19 years old. When this accident happened, it was really hard for us. We really didn't have anywhere to turn and I thought I was going to die of a broken heart. But her family didn't let grief keep them down. They started the Sabrina Navarretta Memorial Foundation and Saturday night they held their fourth annual high school hockey night fundraiser. During the event, FDNY alumni faced the Suffolk County Police Department alumni and Bethpage High School played Syosset High School to end the night. The money raised goes towards scholarships and organizations Sabrina was passionate about. It feels like she's here because so many people love her and so many people knew how amazing she is. But the piece that has been most important for the Navarretta family is their grief counseling group. After attending grief counseling themselves, they wanted to help other families going through similar situations. So they started a group through Helping Parents Heal two years ago. And now it's grown to almost 100 members. When you have parents that are able to laugh again, even though they miss their child, it's... There's no words for the amount of gratification that we get from something like that. Sabrina's sister also started a support group for siblings. It's such a different experience, right, as losing, you know, not only a brother or a sister, but as like a best friend. The family says that hockey night is a way to get together with their community to honor Sabrina's life. The support, especially for my family, it's just so nice. That people love us like I can't be appreciative enough in Bethpage, Nassau County. Jenna Ray Gardner News 12.